Rotary type washing brush



y 23, 1968 J. MUNDO 3,393,418

ROTARY TYPE WASHING BRUSH Filed July 27, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I NVENTOR lax/As d Mu/wo BY A I j I I ///6 ATTJZ/VEX United States Patent 3,393,418 ROTARY TYPE WASHING BRUSH Louis J. Muudo, 8550 S. Vincenues, Chicago, Ill. 60620 Filed July 27, 1967, Ser. No. 656,410 3 Claims. (Cl. 15-183) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A rotary brush having a plurality of brush units, each consisting of core members fixedly journaled on to a rotating shaft with the core providing a base for a plurality of removable bristle carrying members. Mounted on the rotatable shaft between brush units is a guide wheel having a diameter greater than the core but less than the diameter subscribed by the rotating bristles.

This invention is an improvement over applicants Patent 3,167,800, dated Feb. 2, 1965, and is directed to constructions disclosed in Class 15 entitled Brushing, Scrubbing and General Cleaning.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings showing the preferred form of construction and in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the brush core units and bristle carrying members.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the guide wheel in relation to the sectional brush.

FIG. 3 is a detailed side elevational view of one part of a core unit.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary detailed sectional view taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a modified brush assembly and guide wheel.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the modified brush core and guide wheel; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the guide wheel.

The rotary type brush assembly of the form of construction as shown in the drawings is adapted to be fixedly journaled upon an elongated rotatable shaft 10. A means for connecting the brush assembly to the rotatable shaft isprovided in the form of a key 11 formed on the shafts periphery and extending longitudinally thereof.

The brush assembly comprises upper and lower end core units 12 and 13 with each unit comprising complementary semicircular sections 14 and 15. Sections 14 and 15 each include a semicircular hub 16 from which radially extends a spoke 17 substantially T-shaped in cross section. Subscribing a base diameter for the semicircular sections 14 and 15 and extending radially from the hub 16 thereof are oppositely projected connecting flanges 18 and 19, which together with the spoke 17 supports an arcuated rim 20. These flanges 18 and 19 provide a flat wall surface 21 and 22 which extends perpendicularly to the axis of the shaft 10. Formed in the fiat wall surfaces 21 and 22 of each of the flanges 18 and 19 are a plurality of openings which receive suitable connecting bolts 23. The hub 16 of each of the sections 14 and 15 is provided with a semicircular recess 24 which at its point of junction with the fiat wall surfaces 21 and 22 of the connecting flanges 18 and 19 areinwardly notched so as to form a keyway 25 adapted to receive a portion of the key 11 formed on the shaft 10.

In assembling a core unit upon the shaft the sections 14 and are assembled so that the flat wall surfaces 21 and 22 of the connecting flanges 18 and 19 of each unit are in abutting relation where, by connecting 3,393,418 Patented July 23, 1968 'ice bolts 23, they are connected together into an assembled confronting upper or lower core unit. The hubs 16 will embrace the shaft 10 while the keyways 25 will receive the key 11 to rotatably connect the core unit to the shaft.

The rim 20 of each section 14 and 15 provides a semicircular supporting shelf 26 which extends parallel to the axis of the shaft 10 and which shelf is compartmentized by a number of equally spaced wall abutments 27. Each of the compartments 28 formed on the shaft 26 has formed in the base thereof a slot 29, equally spaced from the wall abutments 27, the purpose of which will be hereinafter made apparent.

The arrangement of the brush assembly as seen in FIG. 1 is such that the upper end core unit 12 and the lower end core unit 13 are mounted on the shaft 10 a suflicient distance apart equal to the length of the bristle carrying members 30 supported therebetween.

Each bristle carrying member 30 comprises an elongated hollow substantially square element 31 having formed therein throughout its longitudinal length a plurality of aligned openings 32 by which the washing bristles 33 are threadably connected thereto. At each end of the bristle carrying member 30 there is formed an opening 33 through which a connecting bolt 34 may be projected. The element 31 is of a width to be received in the compartments 28 formed by the wall abutments 27 provided by the shelf 26 with the opening 33 formed in the ends thereof in alignment with the slots 29 formed in the base of such compartments. The bolt 34 may be tightened and thus removably connect each of the elements 31 on to and between each of the upper and lower core units 12 and 13 in a fixed parallel spaced relation with respect to the shaft 10. The rims 20 of each of the sections 14 and 15 prevent longitudinal movement of each of the elements 31 while the abutments 27 prevent sideways displacement of the elements 31 relative to each other.

From the foregoing it is apparent that I have provided a lightweight rotary brush structure wherein each of the individual bristle carrying members 30 may be independently removed for repair or replacement without affecting the brush assembly and its mounting on the shaft 10.

In commercial use a rotary brush of the type hereinbefore described is utilized in the washing of automobiles, railroad cars, buses and the like. To prevent the brush cores from becoming hung up or trapped in any sharp corner or recessed configuration resulting from the design of the automobile and the like, I provide a guide wheel 35 adapted to be mounted on the shaft 10 between axially aligned brush assemblies as fragmentarily illustrated in FIG. 2. The guide wheel 35 comprises a protective rim 36 connected by a number of spokes 37 to a shaft receiving hub 38. This guide wheel 35 is of a diameter greater than the diameter of the core units 12 and 13, but less than the diameter of the brush with its bristles fully extended as they would be during a rotational operation of the brush by centrifugal force. As the brush is moved over the external surface configuration of the object to be washed, the guide wheel 35 will prevent the core units from passing into any corner or recess and cause the brush to rotate on the protective rim 36 out of engagement with such entrapping configuration, preventing serious damage to the brush.

As shown in FIGS. 5 through 7 there is disclosed a guide wheel 39 associated with a rotary brush comprising complementary arcuated wall sections 40 and 41. These wall sections 40 and 41 are held in confronting relation by core plates 42 and 43, each of which provide a partial circular hub 44 and 45 as well as radial flanges 46 and 47 extending in opposite directions therefrom. The flanges are adapted to be bolted together about the rotatable shaft 10 so as to connect the wall sections thereto. These wall sections and their connection to the rotatable shaft are shown and described in United States Patent No. 3,167,800, dated Feb. 2, 1965.

As shown in FIG. 6 the guide wheel 39 provides a center hub section 48 which provides on either side thereof generally H-shaped wall section receiving lugs 49. A supporting stud 50 is positioned inbetween the connecting lugs 49 and engages the inner wall surface of the wall sections as shown. Thus the wheel 39 is adapted to replace core plates similar to those hereinbefore described, and thus will not only act as a guide for the rotary brush but also as an intermediate connecting member disposed between assembled brush units, as shown in FIG. 5.

The guide wheels 35 and 39 also act to maintain the proper positioning of the brush and its bristles relative to the article to be cleaned, by preventing overexposure of the bristles as they are caused to be rotated. To achieve the best washing results it is desirable to have only the bristle ends moved over the surface to be cleaned. This the guide wheels 35 and 39 do, by preventing the object to be washed from approaching too close to the core of the brush, thereby bending the long bristles so that their ends do not function as designed.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect,

this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A brush assembly mounted on and rotatable with an elongated supporting shaft with the assembly including core units mounted on the shaft and supporting a plurality of elongated bristle carrying members, and a guide wheel mounted on the shaft between the core units, and having a diameter greater than the core units but less than the diameter subscribed by the extended bristles during rotation of the brush by the supporting shaft, wherein the improvement comprises:

(a) means supporting the bristle carrying members in a spaced coaxial relation to the supporting shaft,

(b) said means comprising an enlarged rim connected to and radially extending about the supporting shaft,

. 4 and having a diameter less than the diameter of the guide wheel,

(0) a shelf laterally extending from the inner periphery of said rim coaxially of the supporting shaft,

((1) abutments carried by said shelf extending radially from and coaxially of the shaft, and transversely to said shelf, and cooperating with said rim to form circumferentially spaced compartments for the ends of the bristle carrying members,

(e) slots formed in said shelf between said abutments and in open communication with said compartments for removably receiving connecting means carried adjacent the ends of said bristle carrying members, and

(f) connecting means carried adjacent the ends of the bristle carrying members cooperating with said rim and said shelf and said abutments for removably connecting the bristle carrying members within the compartments on the core units.

2. A brush assembly as defined by claim 1 wherein said slots are of a length whereby the ends of the bristle carrying members abut the rim when mounted in said compartments to prevent longitudinal movement thereof, and the bristle carrying members having a thickness equal to the distance between the shelfs surface and the outer periphery of said rim so as to lie within its circumference.

3. A brush assembly as defined by claim 1 and further characterized by having the guide wheel formed to provide a center hub journaled on the supporting shaft and including means on opposite sides thereof cooperating with the core units to form the brush assembly.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,167,800 2/1965 Mundo 15179 3,187,359 6/1965 Takeuchi 1521 FOREIGN PATENTS 109,394 9/1917 Great Britain. 306,835 5/1930 Great Britain. 698,689 10/1953 Great Britain. 1,036,953 7/ 1966 Great Britain.

PETER FELDMAN. Primary Examiner. 

